Whispers of Destiny: His Belated Love novel Chapter 67

"Miss, what do you think you're doing? You can't just touch the painting if you're not buying it!" The security guard at the area shouted, "Put the painting down now, or I'm treating you as a thief!"

Rosemary, startled by the bellow that echoed through the floor, came back to her senses and realized that, somehow, she had taken the painting off the hook without noticing.

Becoming aware of her gaffe, she quickly reined in her emotions nd said in a hoarse voice, "Sorry, I just got carried away. I'll take the painting, could you please get in touch with the seller for me?"

The guard called the manager, while he was half believing and half doubting.

The manager arrived promptly; after learning she wanted to purchase the painting, he contacted the provider.

Learning that the person was also present at the exhibition, the manager said, "Ms. Chambers, there's a buyer who is interested in your painting. Would it be possible for you to come over and discuss the price in person?"

Rosemary frowned, a suspicion forming in her mind. 'Chambers' might be a common surname, but there was only one person with the surname Chambers who could have this painting, Stacey.

Her fingertips gently touched the balloon in the shape of a rabbit that the girl in the painting was holding.

The painting was the work of her mother, and the little girl in it was her.

When her mother passed away, she was only eight and couldn't deal with her mother's belongings. Later, Larry Chambers took Stacey and her mother abroad, and by the time Rosemary got the news and rushed back, the Chambers' mansion had already changed hands and everything inside was gone.

She had called Larry to ask about her mother's belongings, but he was annoyed and all he had said was, "Why keep the stuff of the dead? Isn't that bad luck?"

Before long, Rosemary saw Stacey enter the hall.

The woman was wearing a delicate makeup, dressed in a white knit top and a grey A-line skirt that came halfway down her thighs, which vaguely exposed her straight and slender legs.

This carefully chosen outfit was clearly more than meets the eye.

She approached and greeted the manager, "She's the one who wants to buy my painting?"

The manager nodded, "Yes, you two can discuss the details."

Stacey crossed her arms and lifted her chin, "Fixed price, fifty million."

This was clearly an attempt to make things difficult. Fifty million could buy a very famous piece of art, and Rosemary's mother wasn't a professional artist nor was she known in the art world. Without considering other factors, the painting would normally sell for at most a few hundred thousand.

Rosemary knew it wouldn't be easy the moment she saw Stacey. Given Stacey's character, she was bound to exploit this opportunity to make things as hard as possible for her.

Seeing Rosemary silent, Stacey became more brazen, "What, can't afford it? Ha, even if you’re married to Maxwell, you're still a pauper who can't cough up fifty million if you can't win his favor!"

Back when she learned that Rosemary was going to marry Maxwell, she had suggested to her father that she should take Rosemary's place, but it hadn't worked out, and Stacey had held a grudge over it ever since.

Fortunately, since she came back to the country, she had heard plenty about Maxwell and Victoria, and one could imagine that Rosemary had been living the life of an abandoned wife these past few years!

Stacey lowered her voice, continuing to provoke her, "Actually, your mom left quite a lot of stuff behind, probably because of her profession, lots of valuable items. Dad had moved them elsewhere before he declared bankruptcy."

As she spoke, she lifted her hand, "See this bag I'm carrying? I should thank her, cause I sold just one of her pieces and got this bag in exchange."

"Slap."

Before Stacey could finish her sentence, she got a solid slap across the face!

Just the sound of it was enough to tell how hard Rosemary had hit her, and a handprint immediately appeared on Stacey's face.

A hiss went through the crowd!

Stacey was so stunned by the slap that she couldn't regain her composure for a long time.